HIGH-PERFORMANCE RAILGUN BARRELS FOR LABORATORY USE

High performance low-cost, laboratory railgun barrels are now available, based on a technology developed at IAP Research. The barrel is comprised of an inherently stiff containment structure, which surrounds the bore components machined from ''off-the-shelf'' materials. The shape of the containment structure was selected to make the barrel inherently stiff. The structure consists of stainless steel laminations which do not compromise the electrical efficiency of the railgun. The modular design enhances the utility of the barrel, as it is easy to service between shots, and can be ''re-cored: to produce different configurations and sizes using the same structure. We have produced barrels ranging from 15 mm to 90 mm square bore, a 30 mm round bore, and in lengths varying from 0.25 meters to 10 meters long. Successful tests with both plasma and solid metal armatures have demonstrated the versatility and performance of this design.